There is a need in healthcare settings for efficacious broad-spectrum antimicrobial disinfection products. Foam cleaning products are popular, in part because they are easier to spread on surfaces. Consumers seem to prefer the luxury of foamed soap and disinfecting products. Less foam is needed to produce the same cleaning power as liquids or gels, due at least partly to the higher surface area of the foam. Properly formulated foam products do not produce the drip and splash that is experienced with traditional gelled or liquid products, because the formulation is not dispensed in a liquid state. This prevents damage to the floors and walls of facilities where the product dispensers are used. Manufacturing of foam products may be easier than gelled products, which often incorporate powdered thickeners that are difficult to handle.
Typically, foam products require dispensers that are adapted to mix a gas with a liquid in order to produce a foam. Aerosol foam products require a pressurized system and a propellant. U.S. Pat. No. 6,660,282 describes some of the drawbacks of non-aerosol foam products. The '282 patent states that certain types of non-aerosol dispensers operate with porous filters or meshed screens, and therefore are not tolerant to particulate components or to even modestly viscous compositions. The '282 patent also states that non-aerosol generated foams often lack a dense luxurious character and often do not provide a cushioned afterfeel.
Thus, there is a need for widely-applicable antimicrobial alcohol foam compositions that do not require a dispenser to mix a gas with a liquid in order to produce the foam.